For the first time, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) grants petition for temporary exemption for
an electric vehicle with an automated driving system – the
Nuro R2X.
On 11 February 2020 NHTSA granted a petition for exemption from
three requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
(FMVSS) applicable to low-speed vehicles for Nuro's R2X. The
R2X is a low-speed autonomous delivery vehicle, which will not
carry passengers. NHTSA's granting of Nuro's petition marks
the first grant of a petition for exemption allowing for commercial
deployment for a vehicle of this type – "a highly
automated (SAE Level 4 or L4), low-speed (25 mph maximum),
electric-powered delivery vehicle." Nuro first applied for the
exemption on 23 October 2018.
